Adam Kropinski

Polish Air Force

Adam Kropiński was born in Przemyśl to Bolesław and Aniela Maria (née Bambach) on 11 October 1900. He had three older siblings: Tadeusz, Maria, and Janina. At the time, Poland was still partitioned by Germany, Russia, and Austria. Przemyśl was in Galicia which was governed by Austria.

While in high school he joined a boy scout group and soon became patrol leader. He then joined the Youth Independence Organization which trained for the expected fight to regain Poland's independence.

In 1918, he was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian Army, posted to the 3rd Heavy Artillery Regiment of Prince Rudolf Kinsky in Budapest. He was then enrolled in the Artillery Reserve Officers School in Hajmáskér, Hungary, graduating with the rank of gunner. After finishing another artillery course at the training grounds in Hajmáskér, he was promoted to corporal.

With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he returned to Poland, where he joined the emerging Polish Army as a volunteer and took part in the battles for the liberation of Przemyśl from the Ukrainians. He then joined No. 4 Battery of the 1st Heavy Artillery Regiment in Kraków and fought in the Polish-Ukrainian War (1918-1919) near Lwów.

In the Polish-Soviet War, Kropiński performed intelligence functions for the 1st Heavy Artillery Regiment of the Legions. He fought in battles ranging from Latvia in the north to Kyiv in the south, as well as the Battle of Warsaw.

In 1926, he asked to attend a course for pilots at the 3rd Air Regiment in Poznań, after which he transferred to the 31st Line Flight, eventually becoming its commander.

He was later appointed commander of the flight school at the Lublinek airfield near Łódź and later became commander of the 3 PL's sister PWL facility in Poznań. He also participated in a number of international aeronautical shows. In November 1934, he received a First-Class Pilot Badge. The following year, he was appointed commander of 32 Eskadra Liniowa based in Poznań.

In 1936, he attended Staff College in Warsaw, qualifying as a training officer, and was appointed commander of the II Army Co-operation Squadron.

Starting in the early 1930s Kropiński learned to ski, eventually becoming a ski instructor for the Polish Air Force. He was promoted to the rank of Pilot (Major) in 1938, and then appointed commander of the Training Squadron at 2 Pułk Lotniczy in Kraków.

Nothing is known about his mobilization assignment in August 1939. It is known, however, that on September 12, 1939, he crossed the Polish-Romanian border at Kuty-Vijniţa (now Vyzhnytsia, Ukraine). He escaped from Romania to France, and by November 2, 1939 he had reached Paris.

He was the senior officer on the first transport of Polish airmen from France to Britain, where they were sent to RAF Station Eastchurch. Kropiński was given the British rank of Acting Squadron Leader.

At RAF Eastchurch he was appointed commander of I Division, and then II Division after a reorganization. He attended a variety of training courses, while respectively, the functions of: Commander of the Training Squadron, Senior Polish Officer, Commander of „C”, „D”, and then „A” Flights.

On June 18, 1942, Kropiński was posted to No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron "Mazovia" at RAF Station Ingham as a pilot. He was promoted on September 1 to the British rank of Squadron Leader.

On November 1, 1942, given the rank of Acting Wing Commander, he took over as Commander of No. 300 Bomber Squadron and remained in that position until May 3, 1943. During his service in No. 300 Squadron, flying Wellingtons (Mark III and IV), he made 22 missions on night operations. His regular crew consisted of: Sgt Karol Kramarczyk (navigator), Sgt Konstanty Czernek (wireless operator), Sgt Jan Horoch (air gunner), and P/O Henryk Paschalski (air gunner). Occasionally, Kropiński also flew with 11 other crew members.

On March 1, 1943, he was promoted to the rank of Pilot (Lieutenant Colonel), and later became head of the Department of Defence Intelligence. On 1 September 1943, he received the permanent RAF rank of Wing Commander.

In 1944, he became liaison officer in the Polish Military Mission to the General Staff of the Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force, serving for almost a year in France and Germany, remaining on the assignment until August 13, 1945.

Returning to London, he relinquished the rank of Acting Group Captain and was transferred to the Polish Air Force Depot as a supernumerary officer.

On December 6, 1946, he joined the No. 3 Polish Resettlement Unit at RAF Dunholme Lodge. He formally served in the Polish Resettlement Corps. In 1948, he and his family(wife and three sons) emigrated to Canada. He was honourably discharged with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and Wing Commander.

The family bought a large farm on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. Farm work was physically demanding, especially for Kropiński who was now 48. It was also financially challenging because of the added cost of farming on an island and the generally depressed prices for farm products. Eventually, through hard work and Kropiński's financial acumen, they made the farm a success.

In the mid-1950s the family sold the farm, moved to Kamloops and bought a 45-room hotel with business offices and retail stores underneath. Kropiński eventually retired to Vernon. With his health failing in his late seventies, he moved to Vancouver for better care.

In 1932 he married Krystyna (née Tomaszewska). After the divorce, while in Britain he married Diana (née Ware), an English WAAF officer. They had three sons – Andrew, Christopher and George. After the marriage ended in divorce, he married in 1969 Irena Pasławska (née Maciejewicz).

For the period 1918-1938, he was awarded:

the Cross of Valour with bar,
Gold Cross of Merit,
Commemorative medals for the battles he fought during that period.

For World War 2 he was awarded with the following Polish medals:

Virtuti Militari Order Class V (No. 9680), the Cross of Valour with two bars,
Air Force Medal with two bars,
Operational Pilot Badge; No. 1220).

For World War 2 he was awarded the following British medals:

Distinguished Flying Cross and Mention in Despatches twice.
He also received campaign and commemorative medals:
1939-1945 Star with the Bomber Command Clasp,
Air Crew Europe Star with the France and Germany Clasp,
Defence Medal,
War Medal 1939-1945;

He was also awarded the French medal:

Cross of Volunteer Combatant of the 1939-1945 War.

Adam Kropiński passed away in Vancouver on 2 March 1982, and is buried in Mountain View Cemetery, in the War Veterans Section

Excerpts from: https://www.polishairforce.pl/kropinskieng.html